City, slain reporter’s family reach settlement

Washington, D.C.  The city has settled a $20 million lawsuit filed by the family of a veteran New York Times reporter whose beating death raised questions about the city's emergency medical services, the mayor said Thursday.

David Rosenbaum, 63, was beaten with a heavy plastic pipe during a mugging in January 2006 near his home. The family alleged that the people responsible for helping Rosenbaum - from emergency medical workers to hospital staff - failed him.

In the settlement, the city will not pay any money to the family. Instead, the family has agreed to withdraw the lawsuit and give the District of Columbia one year to improve emergency medical services. If it does not improve, the family can refile the lawsuit.

The settlement requires the district to create a task force to investigate the city's emergency response and issue a report with recommendations to improve the services within six months, according to the settlement. The task force will include a member of Rosenbaum's family.